Tug-Of-War
by Darth Skywalker
Summary: *UPDATED* Chapter 2 added. Please R&R. Talon Karrde meets with Jabba the Hutt. Vader looks to find the pilot that humiliated him. The Rebels clash with the Imperials a little too soon after the battle of Yavin.
1. Prologue

Title: Tug-Of-War   
Author: Darth Skywalker   
Author's Email: graystone85@angelfire.com   
Category: Series   
Key Words: Luke, Han, Leia, Mara, Vader, Xizor, Thrawn, Karrde, Jabba, Guri, Fett, Lando   
Spoilers: A New Hope, Tales From The Empire   
Rating: PG   
Summary: Begins immediately after A New Hope, and then fast-fowards to six months later. Yavin 4 is being evacuated. Darth Vader has been exiled by the Emperor but wants to prove his master wrong. Mara Jade has an assignment with Boba Fett that she will look back on years later and shudder over. Thrawn decides to take a little trip before his final assignment in the Core Region. A Dark Jedi is discovered under the command of a mysterious lady. What effect will she have on these events?   
Disclaimer: This is a work of Fan Fiction. Star Wars and its characters are the property of Lucasfilm Ltd and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.   
Authors note: All feedback, good or bad, is welcome! I'm just a fan fic writer here trying to finally complete a full-length work, something I have yet to do in my writing career, so please let me know how I am doing! 

Tug-Of-War 

Prologue 

_Six Months Ago_

Darth Vader had sat in the trench, muttering moments earlier to himself, "The Force is strong with this one," as the X-Wing pilot he had been ready to gun down prepared to shoot his proton torpedoes into the main reactor of the Death Star. But the sensation passed, and moments before he squeezed down the trigger of his ion cannon, he grinned underneath his mask and said "I have you now."  
  
He then pushed the trigger, but the shot went wide.  
  
"What?" he had yelled in confusion, and then he was cut off as he felt his custom TIE crash against his wingman, and a massive headache began to overpower him as a result. He quickly used the Force to begin healing himself, but as he did, he noticed that his ship was spinning out of control and...his other wingman was gone.  
  
Then he felt it. He peered around to see...the Millennium Falcon...the ship that he had let go from the Death Star in the hopes that it would lead them to the hidden Rebel Base. Grand Moff Tarkin had expressed doubt to Vader openly about the entire plan...but Vader had said nothing in response to Tarkin's lack of faith.  
  
Now, he saw that Tarkin had been right.  
  
Luckily, Vader would not have to face a confrontation from him on this subject, he realized ruefully, as he witnessed the Death Star explode into a supernova quite similar to that which had occurred, ironically, when the very same station had destroyed the planet of Alderaan.  
  
Vader was thrown back in his seat, the loss of life sending him reeling, and his ship once again flew out of control. He could not focus on the Force and had no time in advance to prepare for this disturbance. At least when Tarkin had decided to destroy Alderaan, Vader had ample time to put up barriers around his mind so he would not hear the screams of pain, death, and terror as he saw Alderaan's decimation aboard the Death Star.  
  
But that was not the case now.  
  
Fortunately for Vader, no one had taken notice of his escape and mercifully, no Rebel fighter had decided to do anything about it. It was something that he hoped sincerely they would come to regret, and from the proddings that the Force gave him, he believed his wishes would come true.  
  
After several minutes of thanking the Force for his life, he then realized the inevitable.  
  
He would have to explain himself to the Emperor...and it would not be good for him. His Master had never truly been displeased with what he had created from the remains of Anakin Skywalker, as for the last twenty years he had scoured the entire galaxy in search of remaining Jedi and had systematically wiped them all out, one-by-one. The irony had indeed been great. The Jedi were finished off by one who had been their own, and to make it worse he had been seen as the "Chosen One." Vader had now realized what he was chosen for...to eliminate them.  
  
Despite this attempt to think about the past and as a result digress from his earlier thoughts, Vader came back to the present and then began to dread the future. The Emperor would not be pleased at all. Not only had Vader been the primary one responsible for the error in the pivotal moment of battle, but the Emperor would have been able to view the entire battle through the Force. Such was the power of Vader's master...and Vader shuddered to think what would happen if he were to have that power directed at him.  
  
As Vader mused on these thoughts, he sensed something was about to happen and he shook away any  
thoughts of the past or the future and focused solely on the present. He noted that his starfighter had repaired all damage and was fully functional once again. Vader raised his shields, a feature only boasted by his customizable fighter and none other in the entire fleet. He then prepared his sensors and made sure his weapons were ready to go.  
  
As he finalized the checks, he waited to see what would happen. A minute passed...then two...then three...and eventually, Vader's impatience got the best of him. Howver, he chided himself and stretched out to the Force for guidance...and then he saw what would happen.  
  
As he opened his eyes, the Star Destroyer he had just seen in his vision appeared before him and  
immediately locked onto his ship with a tractor beam.  
  
Vader thought the immediacy of the entire action rather strange...almost as if they had been expecting him...  
  
And then the dread hit him as he sensed the presence aboard the Star Destroyer itself...  
  
No, it couldn't be...but it was...  
  
The Emperor himself was aboard the Star Destroyer...and as Vader further searched through the Force, he realized that his master had immediately seen what was to happen to the Death Star and had rushed out to prevent it...but had come too late. Now he would deal with his most loathsome creation regarding this matter...as soon as possible, Vader feared.  
  
As the tractor beam pulled him into a docking bay, Vader shut down the ship except for life support, and then he saw the stormtroopers lined in formation, awaiting his arrival. Despite Vader's fear for what was about to happen to him within the next several moments, he opened his mind to the troopers out of curiosity and queried their emotions. He was shocked to find them amused...but then he got over the shock and realized that they had a right to be. They were standing in front of the Dark Lord who had come not in honor but in shame...being saved from danger from the Emperor, who had been reduced to a baby-sitter. Vader again shuddered upon thinking about the Emperor, and as he stepped out the custom TIE, he noticed two men approaching him.  
  
Captain Niriz....and Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Chiss.  
  
So...Vader was aboard the Admonitor. Interesting...Thrawn had definitely been currying for the Emperor's favor...and Vader realized that to deliver him personally to the Emperor would no doubt increase his status in the Emperor's eyes even more.  
  
But the man did not worry Vader. Deep down inside, in fact, he had a certain respect for the blue-skinned, red-eyed alien that few Imperial officers had ever inspired in Vader, Tarkin aside. He did not think that Thrawn would try to rise to a higher position merely by using Vader as his stepping-stone...a man like Thrawn was above that.  
  
As the two men approached, Vader nodded cordially to them. "Admiral Thrawn...Captain Niriz."  
  
Thrawn nodded to the Dark Lord. "Lord Vader. We welcome you aboard the Admonitor."  
  
Niriz also gave Vader a cordial bow in addition to the nod. "My Lord...ah, the Emperor is aboard and wishes to see you immediately...we have an impromptu throne room set up where he is waiting for you...if you'll follow us, sir?"  
  
As Vader silently began following the two officers as his response, his fear increased tenfold as he realized his premonitions were correct. The Emperor was aboard after all...  
  
Vader tried to walk as slowly as possible, but at one point when he noticed that Thrawn and Niriz were nearly several feet in front of him, he finally stopped with his nonsense and decided to face up for what he had done...if it was anything, at all...as he caught up to them.  
  
Thrawn and Niriz finally stopped before a door, and as it opened, Vader could sense the dark presence of his master invading his mind before he saw him and he communicated with his servant.  
  
Lord Vader, I have been expecting you...  
  
My Master...  
  
He noticed immediately that there was no "Welcome," or "My friend," or any of the usual greetings that the Emperor normally gave him when they met as the door opened and the trio walked up the stairs.  
  
The chair was turned towards the stars, but it turned around as the three of them stepped onto the same parallel ground as the Emperor's. No doubt the Emperor had sensed them through the Force.  
  
"Thank you Admiral Thrawn, Captain Niriz. I appreciate your hospitality in allowing me to use the Admonitor's facilities...and now, you may leave us."  
  
Before they left, though, Vader noticed that they properly added their graciousness to the Emperor, and he noticed before all this that the Emperor had not acknowledged Vader at all.  
  
"We are honored with your presence, my Emperor," said Thrawn, kneeling quickly and bowing his head.  
  
"My Master, it was a pleasure working with you," said Niriz, doing the same as Thrawn.  
  
The Emperor leered. "As it was with you...and as it will be in the future...but we will discuss this matter further, both of you. Now leave us...guards, you may leave as well," the Emperor said, addressing his crimson soldiers armed with their signature Force pikes.  
  
Vader tried to think of anything to delay his impending doom, but as he felt the last guard file out of the room, he then looked up from kneeling to his master. The Emperor had maintained his smile until the last guard had left, but now he openly glared at Vader.  
  
"You have failed me, Vader," he barked. "You had already foiled two of their attack runs...and the third should have been easy...he was one fighter, alone by himself. There were three of you. What harm could one fighter against three pose, especially with the best pilot the Empire has in command of the situation?"  
  
Vader did not answer...he knew it was unwise to try and put excuses before the Emperor, and he had only heard of those who had tried to do so...because he had never seen them again.  
  
The Emperor's glare turned into a sneer. "Not only have you humiliated me and turned me into a baby-sitting service solely for you, but the Rebels have crippled us and have received an opportunity to regroup, expand, and plan more infiltrations for the future."  
  
He then closed his eyes and grinned...and that made Vader fear for his life even more.  
  
"Ah, I can sense your fear...it has been strong within you since the event...I can understand, my servant...I can..." Palpatine said, as he looked at Vader sadly.  
  
Without warning, lightning bolts shot out from the Emperor's hands and Vader was knocked back, toppling down the stairs. As he flipped over, he noticed the sad look on the Emperor's face had been replaced with one of insane, uncontrolled, raw anger. The Emperor stood up and continued his advance, his eyes growing wider with every second.  
  
The pain was so much for Vader that he began to lose his sight and involuntarily, he began to shriek in horror, hoping that perhaps those would serve as pleas for the Emperor to spare his life.  
  
To Vader's surprise, the Emperor did stop. But Vader ruefully realized that it was only to continue his verbal tirade. "You will pay the price for your lack of vision...and for your disobedience and your failure to serve me. You have cost the Empire millions of lives, Vader... and this murder cannot be excused."  
  
As soon as this verbal tirade was over, the physical tirade resumed. The lightning bolts shot out again, and the electricity threatened to shut down Vader's nervous system. But just as Vader felt like he was going to pass out...the Emperor suddenly stopped.  
  
As Vader's vision began to slowly return...he was surprised to notice the Emperor's eyes closed, a puzzled expression on his face. Then as he sensed that Vader was viewing him physically, he snapped his eyes open and stared at his servant for a long time.  
  
After what seemed like an hour of this stare-down, the Emperor finally grinned at Vader eerily.  
  
"Rise, my friend."  
  
Vader thanked the Force for this. If this was the extent of his punishment, then he had truly been lucky to have escaped with his life. Several years earlier, this lightning attack would not have posed a major threat to his existence. But now, especially that his health had taken a turn for the worse, this attack by the Emperor had almost killed him.  
  
As Vader struggled to get up, to his surprise, Palpatine aided him through the Force. Then, as the Dark Lord was fully able to stand on his own two feet, the Emperor walked him back to the throne and sat back down.  
  
Vader quickly knelt, cowering before his master. He would need to do this for some time, he realized, as it would require much to regain his master's favor fully again.  
  
The Emperor grinned. "Lord Vader...do you remember when I took a personal excursion to the Outer Rim?"  
  
Vader said nothing, simply for the fact that he was still trying to catch his breath from the attack.  
  
If the Emperor knew of this, he said nothing as he continued, still leering. "I brought back something I thought you would be interested in seeing...I consider this quite interesting...and I'm sure you will as well..."  
  
He smiled evilly, pushing a button on his throne.  
  
A door opened to Vader's right, somewhere on the far wall of the throne room, and Vader deduced that it had been secretly hidden, having blended into the wall nicely.  
  
What stepped...or who, Vader corrected himself...out of the door shocked the Dark Lord.  
  
A red-haired young woman, dressed in a skin-tight black jumpsuit that accentuated her formidable curves nicely, also wore a utility belt that boasted a blaster, a knife that Vader could have sworn he had seen in the Emperor's personal collection on Coruscant only months ago...and a lightsaber.  
  
As Vader opened his mind to the woman...he confirmed what the lightsaber had implied: she was sensitive in the Force.  
  
"Lord Vader," said Palpatine, standing up and taking the woman's hand. "Meet your replacement. She is my Hand...my asassin...Mara Jade."  
  
Vader's mask prevented his jaw from dropping several millimeters, but as the reaction was involuntary, it hurt his jaw as his body forced it to try.  
  
The woman nodded cordially at Vader. Her smile...was beautiful, but Vader could see the evil it possessed.  
  
The Emperor then cackled gleefully. "I speak in riddles, Lord Vader. No, she will be your replacement indefinitely," he said. Then his face turned serious and menacing. "I am giving you a leave of absence, my servant, to reflect on your failures. I hope that when you return, you will be better suited to serve me and the Empire and to never fail again. You are hereby removed from active duty and are banished from my sight. Do not attempt to contact me or come before me until you have reflected on your mistakes and have learned the error of your ways."  
  
Vader knelt before the Emperor and spoke for the first time. "As you wish."  
  
"A shuttle is waiting for you in the same docking bay where your TIE was. You may go wherever you desire, but do not meddle in Imperial affairs until you have come back to me first and until I desire you to work under me again," said Palpatine. He then looked at Vader maliciously and bared his teeth. "Now leave."  
  
He then turned around as Mara Jade did with him and they both observed the stars together, no doubt communicating of future pursuits through the Force...  
  
Vader insanely realized he was jealous, but after what seemed like an eternity, he finally rose and whirled away, leaving the throne room.  
  
As he arrived in the docking bay, there was no stormtrooper complement to see him off. So... Palpatine was adding insult to injury. Vader restrained his anger as he entered the shuttle and quickly piloted it to outside the docking bay. He immediately plotted a course for Coruscant and went to hyperspace.  
  
As the starlines stretched in front of him and he entered the world of blue that had once amazed him when he was merely Anakin Skywalker, he sighed. In some respects, this was worse than losing his life. Now he had to suffer in misery and solitude while at the same time a woman (a woman!) took his place at the Emperor's side? This was unforgivable...and as the ship continued on its course, Vader silently vowed to himself that the Emperor would one day pay for this, and then he just as silently vanquished the thought from his mind, in fear of the Emperor possibly realizing what he was thinking.  
  
He would prove his worth to the Emperor, indeed...but on his own...and it was about time. He had been pampered enough with servants, aides, and stormtroopers. This would be a good test for his abilities. He then decided his goal--to hunt down the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star...and bring him before the Emperor...dead or alive.  
  
And he would succeed. He stretched out to the Force...and he did indeed see this event occurring soon. It would simply be a matter of when, not if.  
  
He was Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith--and he would never fail again.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_Now_  
  
The Massassi Temple on Yavin 4 had once been home to Force-sensitive aliens that had been users of the Force until they had become corrupt and had fallen victim to the Dark Side of the Force. The Rebel Alliance had used this structure as a makeshift docking bay half a year ago for its wings to launch the attack against the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin, but soon after had abandoned the temple and had found another Massassi structure...what appeared to be a former residence, in fact...as their new docking bay. It was also more advantageous to Rebel Command because of the simple fact that it was closer to the other central locations of the Rebel base.  
  
But although the Temple had officially been abandoned, it was still occupied at least once a week...not by any members of Command...but by a young person who had just begun his journey in a universe at war.  
  
Luke Skywalker was his name, and he sat quietly on the rooftop of the temple, only accompanied by his droid, Artoo-Detoo, who sat silently several feet away. The young Jedi apprentice sat in deep thought, pondering the events of the last several months as his eyes remained shut but his mind called out to the Force, seeking guidance from its luminous currents.  
  
After clearing his mind of worldly distractions, he brought himself back to what had possibly been the most pivotal moment of the galaxy...and of his own life. He had been racing down the trench of the Death Star in his X-Wing, having no time to grieve over the loss of his longtime companion Biggs Darklighter. His own life had been in danger at that moment, and as he had been setting up his targeting computer, he heard a voice in his head...not once, not twice, but three separate times.  
  
Luke, use the Force...  
  
He had thought he was hallucinating from grief, and he ignored the voice, continuing his setup.  
  
Luke, let go!  
  
Again...and this time, he could have sworn the voice sounded like that of Obi-Wan Kenobi...his instructor for a short time...too short, Luke sadly reminisced, as he remembered his master being struck down on the Death Star before his very eyes by his ex-pupil, Darth Vader. But Luke still ignored the command. Then the voice persisted one last time, and this convinced Luke that Ben was calling to him from beyond.  
  
_Trust me, Luke..._  
  
Luke debated for a moment, but only for a moment. He shut down his targeting computer...and the rest was history.  
  
Or was it?  
  
After the happiness and joy of defeating the Empire had died down, the implications of Luke's actions suddenly hit him square in the chest, and the realization that he had murdered millions. What made him any different from Grand Moff Tarkin when he had casually ordered Alderaan to be blown away?  
  
Luke had preferred to not discuss this matter with his friends, and had come here in reflection since then, at least once a week. But there were times when he came to the Temple when he could not think clearly, and instead he decided to learn more about the Force and what he had the ability to do with it. In the six months that had passed, he had been able to find his way around the planet without getting lost using the Force. He also had discovered how to move objects using the Force by focusing all of his concentration towards the object and clearing his mind of extraneous thoughts. However, for the last month, he had not been getting anywhere with his training, and he hoped that he could find a new teacher soon...otherwise, he would be a sad  
testament to the Jedi name...especially if he was the last one.  
  
As he opened his eys from his meditation, he noticed Artoo was no longer there.  
  
That surprised him and roused him up immediately. He re-opened his mind to the Force and tried to get a grasp of the situation. But with his weak abilities, he could not sense much beyond what was nearby.  
  
Luke muttered a string of expletives, a very un-Jedi-like thing to do, but he did not care at this particular moment and hopped on his airspeeder.  
  
Then he slapped his head. "The comlink! Of course!"  
  
He turned it on, ruefully recalling the last notable incident he had with the device, aboard the Death Star with the protocol droid See-Threepio, and as he did he heard a screeching and warbling noise that almost deafened him.  
  
He lowered the volume to realize it was Artoo.  
  
"Okay, Artoo, calm down! I'm here, I'm here," he said. Then he got a little upset. "So what possessed you to run off on me like that? I thought we agreed that you were supposed to wait for me until I was done, right?"  
  
The droid whistled back something else, though, that Luke did not believe.  
  
"_What_? Artoo...are you at the base?" he asked.  
  
The droid whistled an affirmative, nervous-sounding response.  
  
"All right, I'll be there right away," he said, and clicked off the comlink.  
  
As he prepared to start the landspeeder, he suddenly sensed something...but he couldn't tell exactly what it was. It was in times like these, he reflected, that he wished he were more adept in the Force and had more schooling from Obi-Wan--  
  
His thoughts were interrupted as the Force began to give him warning again...and this time, Luke was almost positive he heard a rustling sound with it. As he spun around, for no reason at all, he suddenly decided to leap off the landspeeder.  
  
Just as he had cleared the vehicle, several blaster bolts connected with the engine and the vehicle, which had just been turned on, exploded into fragments. Several of them dug into Luke's arm, and he gritted his teeth in an attempt to avoid the pain.  
  
Luke looked up and pulled out his blaster. He was in no mood to try and wield the lightsaber yet, as he wasn't even sure what he was up against. He quickly hid himself in the woods, away from the clearing in front of the temple, and he crouched down underneath foliage that grew at the front of the beginning of the woods.  
  
As Luke waited, he sensed two presences...and then he was shocked to see two Imperial Stormtroopers make their way to the spot where Luke had been moments ago. The two began conversing, and through the Force, Luke could pick up their conversation.  
  
"Yeah, he's done for. You should have seen it...the explosion threw the poor kid off the thing," said the taller one, kicking one of the landspeeder's fragments.  
  
"All right, well, I'm not going to worry about checking to see whether he's alive or not. I mean, in just a little bit, it's not as if one Rebel is going to matter. Right?" asked the other, shorter one. "If he's dead, he's dead. If he's alive, he'll be treated to a pretty sight when he comes back to his base."  
  
The big one laughed evilly and then the two turned around and left the scene.  
  
It was at that moment that Luke decided to make his grand entrance. He hopped out of the bushes and shot down the two troopers behind their back, and then he desperately opened his mind to the Force to make sure that no one else was around. When he was sure, he quickly dragged the body of one of the troopers into the temple and took the armor off the other. He quickly threw the Imperial outfit on over his own clothes, and then when he was satisfied that he was properly "decorated," he began to search for their means of transportation.  
  
After looking for nearly two minutes, he found it: an Imperial swoop bike. He quickly hopped on and turned on the comlink that was attached to it as the bike turned on and he took off.  
  
A voice came from the comlink. "Well? Did you find anything?"  
  
Luke decided to play along and see if he could learn anything from this conversation. "Oh yeah! We found one of them by the temple and nailed him pretty good." He let his voice sober for a moment, and then continued. "But it's just me now."  
  
The voice paused for a minute, and then whispered, "I'll be damned...he got Commander Wainwright, the best Stormtrooper I've ever known to serve the Emperor...damn...I heard he was getting promoted to take over this jury rig. All right. When you get back to base...stay there, and we'll be arriving shortly. We'll teach those Rebel scum not to ever interfere with us ever again."  
  
As Luke sensed the conversation was ending, he knew that he was missing something. Then it hit him--the coordinates of the base itself! First, he bought himself several seconds of thinking time.  
  
"Wait," he said.  
  
"Yeah, what is it?" came the response on the other end.  
  
_Think, Luke, think..._  
  
After a good two seconds, it came to him. He would reach out to the Force and as he had seen Ben do in Mos Eisley with the stormtroopers, he would trick this person...whoever he was...into giving up the coordinates of this rendezvous point.  
  
"You have to give me the coordinates of the rendezvous point," he said, hoping that this little variation wouldn't be a problem as he desperately stretched out to the Force and just above the atmosphere of Yavin 4, as he sensed many life-forms...  
  
"What? Are you stupid or something?" growled the man.  
  
Luke did not let him pause long enough to realize that this was a trick, and now he knew himself that he was not strong enough in the Force to pull the stunt off.  
  
"Hey, cool it, brother," said Luke, popping open a nice accessory he had taken with him in case of emergencies such as these ones. A map of the Yavin 4 terrain, expanding a little past the Massassi temple, stretching just past the location of the main base, and including other areas that were unmarked. "I got lost, okay? I've never been out here this far, and the swoop got shot up a bit."  
  
The man on the other end paused now, definitely having second thoughts. "Hmmm...we'll see about that. Give me your authorization."  
  
Luke froze. His cover was blown. He quickly blasted the comlink to pieces, and then he tossed the helmet off and sped towards the base. At least he had managed to learn something, despite how bad the news actually was. The Imperials had definitely not made their move yet...but now, without a doubt, they would be coming down on the Rebels like a Tatooine sandstorm.  
  
After several minutes, Luke arrived back at base and ignored the comments at his outfit as he hopped off the swoop.  
  
The residence that comprised the Rebel Base was actually a combination of many former Massassi homes. Man-made was probably the best word to describe the location. The entire place was made of bricks, but the substance that the Massassi had used as an adhesive forced it to stay in one piece. It had done so for longer than Luke had been alive. The brick residences were each within three feet of each other, and formed a huge oval when looked at from the sky. But there was an adequate break in the middle that had been the addition by the Rebellion. When the scout teams had first arrived to check the area out, they had thought the place perfect for the new base...but had decided that if the area was to serve their needs at all, they would need to  
remove a home to create an opening. This was no problem, especially since no one lived there anymore. A short construction job had been required to make all the residences interconnected, but after a month, a Rebel Base with a three-mile radius and a one-mile front-to-bottom measurement was complete.  
  
As Luke strolled into the base, he found it nearly impossible to believe that this base was about to be destroyed. But it was true.  
  
After a quick stride down the corridor, he reached his destination and keyed in his authorization. As he walked into one of the residences, he noted who he had barged in on, and he had to grit his teeth a little. General Jan Dodonna, General Carlist Rieekan, General Vanden Willard, the three men who had been vital to the survival of the base, all sat in deep discussion with Princess Leia Organa, the headstrong woman that Luke had come to know and admire over the last six months. When Luke walked in, all four looked at him expectantly.  
  
Luke shook his head, not sitting down to emphasize how dire their situation had become. "It's not good. On my way back from the temple, I was ambushed by two stormtroopers. I had to take them out, and then I thought I might be able to infiltrate their base, but that backfired...and now they seem to have figured out what's going on and should be arriving at the surface any minute."  
  
Willard glowered at Luke. Although Dodonna and Rieekan had grown to like Luke, especially Rieekan, Willard had been cold to the idea of this new young recruit who had no official military training and had just waltzed in and thought he was a big deal because he had hit one lucky shot.  
  
Luke had smiled then, upon receiving this lecture, but now Willard looked serious.  
  
"You idiot. Thanks to you, the Empire now knows where we are. I should have you written up for subordination and treason if the situation wasn't so dire."  
  
Leia sighed, despite the moment. "General...what could Luke have possibly done? He was attacked, and if he would have let the troopers go, we would have lost this precious time that we now have. I suggest instead of wasting it, we evacuate."  
  
Before Willard could argue the point, Leia swiveled her chair over to a computer behind her desk, keyed in an authorization code, and then a monotonous alarm began to blare across the entire base.  
  
Leia stood up, taking Luke by the arm. "Gentlemen, I suggest you pack your bags," she said, looking coldly at Willard. "Departure time in half an hour." She then turned around and left the room with Luke.  
  
As the doors closed behind them, Leia touched Luke's hand. "Look Luke, here's what I suggest. Get your things together, and then round up the boys and deploy just outside the entrance. Somehow I don't think we're getting away in time, but hopefully the best favor you could give us is to guard the transports until everyone is away, and then get out on your fighters. As soon as I'm ready to leave, I'll let the generals know. They should be accompanying you by the time you arrive outside."  
  
She then surprised Luke with a quick kiss to the cheek that made him turn red. "Good luck, flyboy." She grinned at him, and then dashed off down the corridor, no doubt towards her quarters.  
  
Luke looked at her for a moment, his world in a daze, and then he was brought back to reality as someone bumped into him. He almost fell on the floor, but a hand grabbed him.  
  
"Hey, kid, what're you doing? The place is about to blow and you're..." Han Solo trailed off as he looked closer at Luke. The smuggler that had befriended Luke and Leia six months ago and had been vital to the Alliance's victory against the Death Star grinned. "Ah, I see. I believe our young hero has been stricken."  
  
Luke shook his head and clapped Han on the back, and then he dashed down the hallway. At least, he tried to. He felt the same hand hold him back. Luke looked back at Han in exasperation, but the pirate and captain of the YT-1300 freighter, the _Millennium Falcon_, nodded at Luke patiently. "I got everything from our room, Luke. I'd say you're about ready to go. Come on, let's get to the _Falcon_, huh? You can strap your little ship to mine and we can take off that way."  
  
Luke looked at Han for a minute, and then he shook his head. "Sorry Han...I wish I could join you, but the princess just gave me a little job." He smiled, appearing proud to any observer. "I'm running the defense operation as we evacuate."  
  
Han raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Nice...I didn't think the title 'Commander' would come in so handy so quickly." He then turned around. "All right, buddy. Chewie's out there doing Force-knows-what with my sweetheart, and I've got to make sure that he really did prep her for takeoff and not screw it up again. So I'll see you around."  
  
He went in the direction Leia had gone as Luke went the opposite direction, shaking his head. Han Solo. Now that was someone that he would have never thought he could have befriended when he had signed on with the Rebellion.  
  
As he stepped outside, he saw about thirty to fourty men awaiting his arrival, some dressed in flight suits and others in standard Rebel trooper gear. They all snapped to attention as Luke arrived.  
  
"At ease, everyone," he said, looking in particular at the men in the flight suits. These men had come together over the past six months, some being smuggled into the Rebel base, others having survived the Battle of Yavin, and others having changed their line of work from ground to air. But these men were special...they had come under Luke to form the new group of pilots known as Rogue Squadron, and Luke was proud of them.  
  
Before Luke could say a word, though, General Dodonna, General Willard, and General Rieekan all came behind him and took over. Luke's heart sank, but he chided himself and reminded himself that this was not the time.  
  
They quickly organized the group into defense positions, scattering them across the area as transports began to take off as soon as possible.  
  
Luke thought about the situation quickly, trying to calculate. There were ten transports-worth of people not including them. It would take almost the full half hour for these to launch, and by the time the Imperials were supposed to arrive, if Luke's calculations were correct, it would only be them against the Imperials.  
  
As he engaged the half hour thinking these thoughts, he began to sense the disturbance in the Force and got Rogue Squadron ready on their positions. Soon, as he began to sense the trouble, he could hear it as well and that was when the rest of the defense force took their positions.  
  
As the last transport pulled away, Luke began to see the attacker. It was a huge dinosaur-like machine...and then he balefully realized that this was the infamous scout walker that had been so dreaded by Rebel Command. As everyone began to fire on the numerous AT-STs, Luke hoped their shielding wouldn't be a problem.  
  
But it was, as after almost fifteen minutes the Rebels had given up a lot of ground and their opponents had pushed them into the oval.  
  
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, an AT-ST's head blew up and the walker quickly toppled to the floor and exploded again. After several seconds, everyone realized that it had been fired on... by the _Millennium Falcon_!  
  
Luke was gleeful as he sensed Solo, Chewbacca, and...Leia? Well...she was there too... so it appeared that Han had conned her out of her leadership duties to give him a hand with the battle. Luke shook his head and then went back to the battle. His smile vanished as he saw TIEs dropping in, and now, he realized that it was going to become suicidal if they stayed any longer.  
  
"Get to your ships!" he barked, as he fled.  
  
The Rebel defenses began to disperse, as most of the troopers began to rush for the last transport that was just for them, while the Rogues headed for their X-Wings. As Luke ran, he suddenly noticed that Dodonna was standing alone.  
  
"General Dodonna?" he asked. "What are you--"  
  
"My boy, you were made for great things. Go out and make us proud," said Dodonna, not looking at Luke as he held something in his hand and he handed the other to General Willard.  
  
Willard looked at the thing for a second, which was too far away for Luke to make out, but he then nodded and clapped his colleague on the shoulder.  
  
"May the Force be with you, Jan," he muttered.  
  
"Likewise," replied Dodonna. He peered to see that Rieekan had already entered the transport.  
  
As Willard turned away, Dodonna stayed...until a laser blast from an AT-ST turned him into dust.  
  
"No!" yelled Luke, running back. But he felt an arm holding him. He turned around to see Willard.  
  
"Luke...he died thinking that he would complete his mission. Now it will never happen..." he said, trailing off. "Unless...someone else completes it."  
  
Then, with a resolve that Willard had never shown, he took the item that Dodonna had given him moments ago and he swallowed it. Luke was shocked, but then Willard clapped him on the shoulder. "Skywalker...make all of us proud. You'll be a great man. May the Force be with you." He then turned and raised his hands in surrender, urging Luke to run off.  
  
Luke stopped for a moment...and then dashed for his X-Wing. He did not want to see what would happen next. As he ignored Artoo for the moment, the ship quickly took off and Luke noticed that the transport had left. But he watched Willard closely. Stormtroopers came up to him and cuffed him, taking him back to their shuttle.   
  
As Luke pulled into the atmosphere of Yavin 4 and eventually into space, he saw one ship left, trying desperately to clear the path for the last transport. He was not surprised to see that it was the _Millennium Falcon_. Luke soared into the fray and began helping the _Falcon_ take out the TIEs, as he locked his S-foils in attack position.  
  
A couple proton torpedoes here and there, and TIEs began to blip away. But the menacing Star Destroyer loomed before them, and TIEs and shuttles came from the surface.  
  
As Luke continued to fight off the TIEs, he noted that the transport had made it away safely, and now the Rogues were leaving as well. When they had all left, Luke contacted the _Falcon_ and received a text message from Han stating their rendezvous point, near Ord Trasi. It was a little far for Luke's taste, but it would do.  
  
As he shot at the last TIE that came from the surface, he began to prepare the ship to jump to lightspeed...and then, something happened that he was not prepared for.  
  
Without warning, the lone Star Destroyer ripped apart with explosions and was literally torn down the middle. Luke was shocked, but did not argue and used the chance to go to lightspeed.  
  
As the starlines stretched though, it hit him.  
  
Willard had eaten a bomb before his capture...and although it was small in size, its impact was tremendous. No doubt he had been near a corridor of the ship somewhere and it had been a critical system.  
  
The man wasn't too bad after all, Luke thought regretfully. But that was the way of the Force... if only he would have known the honor behind Willard earlier...that he would give up his life for the Rebellion. Luke regretted that he had not seen this earlier and had only seen the grumpy old man who criticized him.  
  
But although it was unfortunate, Luke realized he would have to move on, as he had done with Obi-Wan. Yet somehow Luke felt this would be one of many grievings he would have to face in this path that he had decided upon taking in his life.  
  
And he hoped he would be more prepared to face them when the time came. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
Location: Tatooine

Long before Talon Karrde saw his colleague, he could smell him.  
  
As the smuggler entered the lair of the infamous Jabba the Hutt, gangster, crimelord, and virtual ruler of the planet Tatooine, he was surprised to see that the Hutt's most trusted servant, Bib Fortuna, and the Gamorrean guards that accompanied him did not smell it either. Karrde supposed the Gamorreans had an excuse, as they probably smelled as bad as Jabba in some instances, but he still didn't get why Fortuna didn't react anymore. Perhaps he had gotten used to the "mighty" Hutt's odor as a result of having worked under him for so long. Maybe it was something else.  
  
Karrde quickly returned his focus back to the matter at hand as he entered Jabba's main audience chamber and saw the fat sluglike creature asleep with his dancer (poor thing!), who was trapped in his slimy arms, looking terrified and disgusted. As it was, Karrde wished he could do something, but this was purely business, and the first rule of business was to never let emotions get in the way of one's work. Besides, it wasn't like Talon could just waltz away if he screwed up this meeting. He would have to face up to his employer, an ambitious, ruthless man named Jorj Car'das, and most likely either lose his job or lose something else of value to him. And from what Karrde remembered, usually the loss was not what one expected but it still hit home pretty well with the one that had failed the smuggling chief.  
  
He watched the Twi'lek approach his master carefully and gently poke him on the side. After a second, the Hutt's huge eyes snapped open and looked directly at Karrde, and he made a loud roaring noise, as if he was some animal being awakened from a good slumber. The part about him being an animal was virtually the truth in Karrde's mind.  
  
"Master," whispered Fortuna. "You have a visitor..."  
  
Jabba eyed Karrde and made a sound as if he were impressed, which Karrde highly doubted. Knowing the Hutt, it was probably sarcasm. He then began to boom out a phrase in Huttese, but Karrde lost his patience. He knew the slug knew how to speak Basic and he would be damned if he were going to be pushed around today. Another rule of negotiating--if he took the upper hand in something even so seemingly insignificant as dictating speech, then he would most likely be able to dictate a lot more as the rest of the meeting went on. This was supposed to be true in almost all the situations that Karrde tackled.  
  
Then again, this was a Hutt, and this was not just any situation.  
  
Karrde cleared his throat and spoke. "Jabba, if you don't mind, would you please address me in Basic? I know Huttese but I would prefer not to speak it. No offense intended."  
  
The Hutt made the "ooohing" sound again, as if he were impressed. Karrde knew that the tactic was meant to strike fear and uncertainty into whoever Jabba was facing, but it did not faze the smuggler. Then he spoke--in Basic.  
  
"Very well," he boomed. "Now, Lieutenant Karrde, you know why you are here, correct?"  
  
Karrde nodded, impatient to get this over with. Jabba had been seeking an "official" company of smugglers to represent him and sell to him, a group of smugglers that he could trust to perform shipments for him with reliability. For a long time, Karrde had known that Jabba had exclusively relied on Han Solo, whom he had not met but had heard colorful and mixed details of. But after losing his patience with Solo and not receiving his share of Solo's last smuggling run on time as he had been promised, he had put a death mark on the smuggler's head unless he came with the money.  
  
So now Jabba was turning to them. Interesting. "Of course, Jabba. You wanted to speak with a representative of Jorj Car'das' company regarding a smuggling contract. Well, I'm your representative. What do you want to discuss in the terms?"  
  
Jabba eyed Karrde warily this time and made a "hmming" sound. At this point Karrde was beginning to lose it from a combination of factors--the smell, Jabba's refusal to conduct a straightforward business deal without playing games, the plight of the dancer, and Bib Fortuna's susceptibility to just stand there and dumbly nod with whatever his master said. Karrde found it hard to believe that this was the vile gangster's most trusted servant. Finally, Jabba began to speak.  
  
"Well, there should not be any terms to discuss," thundered Jabba. Then he eyed Karrde suspiciously. "Or should there?" he asked, lowering his voice and peering at the smuggler.  
  
Karrde narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" Now it was his turn to get suspicious.  
  
Jabba was silent for a minute, not breaking his stare, and suddenly Karrde began to realize that Jabba's fun and games were over. The Hutt was serious now, and, unless Karrde was hallucinating, the lights in the chamber appeared to have dimmed...and the few "courtiers" had vanished, with the exception of Fortuna and the dancer.  
  
"Lieutenant Karrde...you disappoint me. Perhaps you need some convincing of what your company is doing," bellowed Jabba. He then narrowed his monstrous eyes. "I have reason to believe that you and your employer have been doing business with the Rebel Alliance." Jabba let his words sink in, and then he continued. "Now you know that if I were to undergo any sort of contract with your organization, the ties you have with the Rebellion would...disturb me, to say the least. As you may already know...my ties with the Empire are quite strong. I hold a healthy rapport with the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, and although nothing is formalized, I have been known to...collaborate on Lord Vader with several projects, shall we say, here and there."  
  
Karrde weighed his options now. He had no idea where Jabba had dug up the concept of Car'das doing business with the Rebels. In fact, at times Karrde wondered if Car'das had some secret connections with the Empire. The company had been so successful in recent months, yet nothing had happened to it yet. Usually, successful smuggling companies never got to see more than a month's progress before they were exposed to the Emperor. Palpatine, having formed a law against smuggling in general, would personally execute the leaders himself.  
  
But because Car'das had managed to keep the company successful for so long without being harassed by the Empire, it made Karrde wonder if the only way he had been able to do that had been to strike some corrupt bargain with the Emperor himself.  
  
Perhaps Jabba was just jealous of the success their company was having and wanted to help out some other company by playing a trick on Car'das' organization? Karrde had no idea. But at the moment...  
  
"Jabba," said Karrde calmly. "I assure you, our company has no ties to the Rebellion whatsoever." Then for the hell of it, he decided to give Jabba a little of his own medicine. All part of this game he had been thrust into since his arrival at the Hutt's palace. "I'm beginning to wonder if your ties with Empire might not put MY organization in danger. After all, you know how the Emperor feels about smuggling and what he has done to organizations, especially successful ones, in the past."  
  
Jabba frowned at Karrde, "hmming" again. Then he spoke. "You make a valid point, Lieutenant... a very valid point. But for the moment, unfortately, I'm afraid I can only do one of two things. End this meeting with no result, or receive some proof that you are not aligned with the Rebellion."  
  
Karrde felt like throwing up his hands in disgust, but he caught himself. This was Jabba the Hutt, and although the slug did not have much physical prowess himself, Karrde was almost positive some mercenary was sitting in a dark corner with crosshairs targeted on Karrde's chest if the smuggler made one wrong move against his employer.  
  
Instead, Karrde simply shook his head. "Then I'm afraid this meeting is effectively over, Jabba. But before I leave, I must say that in the few times our company has done business with you, it has truly been a pleasure."  
  
Jabba "hmmed" again, but this time there was a menacing twinge to it. "Don't try to make amends, Karrde. You felt no such thing. In fact, I'm sure that at this very moment, you probably would like nothing better than to thrust a vibroax into my chest. Make your decision, Karrde. You are either going to have deals with me or deals with others, but _not_ with the Alliance. Remember Karrde, I have my eyes and ears in the galaxy. If you or Car'das take one wrong step...I will be there to document it and to do something about it. Let me assure you of that."  
  
Karrde stared at Jabba for a minute, then he dared to crack a smirk. "We shall see." Then he simply nodded and left up the entrance to the chamber. As the Gamorrean escorts showed him to the speeder that Jabba had provided as means of transportation, he flipped them each several credits as means of a tip. The more goodwill he could show beings like these, the less they realize the true nature of cold-hearted criminals like Jabba. Karrde performed this small act of charity with the hope that if other guests who came here did likewise, Jabba's syndicate would eventually unravel from the inside. In all honesty, Karrde thought he was a menace to the galaxy, and the world would be better off without him. Hopefully, when these guards and other of  
Jabba's minor cronies received these acts of goodwill from outsiders, they would begin to see that the grass was greener on the other side and would begin to try their best to leave the Hutt or disrupt him, which was even better.  
  
After a while, Karrde reached his desination, Mos Eisley. As he exited the speeder near the docking bays, he pulled out his comm and notified his men aboard his freighter, the _Wild Karrde_, that he would be arriving shortly. Before he returned, however, he decided to pay a visit to some old friends, as he entered the Mos Eisley cantina, the notorious stopover for the scum of the galaxy.  
  
As Karrde walked in, he nodded at Wuher, the bartender, and then surveyed the area. Sure enough,  
there they were.  
  
A Rodian, an Ithorian, and a Sullustian all sat engrossed in a conversation with Figrin D'an, lead musician of the Modal Nodes, a band that frequented the Cantina and usually played here. But Karrde did not care much for D'an, he wanted to speak with the trio of aliens.  
  
As he stepped to the table, he realized his desire of making a casual entrance was lost as he cast a huge shadow in the eerie lighting of the Cantina over the four aliens, and they paused and looked to see who had interrupted their discussion. When the three realized who was there, they broke out into their forms of greeting.  
  
[Karrde!] declared the Sullustian, flapping his lips up and down and nodding excitedly.  
  
[Lieutenant!] cried the Rodian, his spikes tingling with excitement.  
  
[Sir Talon Karrde!] exclaimed the Ithorian.  
  
Karrde smiled, but then he decided to avoid an entanglement with his friends over language as he had with Jabba, and he raised his hands quickly. "Gentlebeings...it's great to see you, but please, before we go any further...can we please all speak Basic? I know all of you understand it."  
  
They all nodded quickly. If they were offended, they obviously didn't show it. But D'an scratched his head in confusion, and Karrde decided to tell him.  
  
[Ah, Figrin...a pleasure to see you again. Now, I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but I desire a moment with my friends,] he said in Bith. The musician looked at him for a minute, then nodded.  
  
[That is fine, in fact I was just about to leave. As you know, this,] D'an said, pointing to the band playing at the Cantina tonight, [is getting on my nerves. I wish Max Rebo would just stop trying, his holodisc sales have been nothing since I formed the Nodes and we dropped.]  
  
Karrde smiled, noting the intense rivalry between the two bands. But then D'an nodded and took a polite leave of all four of them.  
  
When Karrde was satisfied that D'an had left, he took the seat that the Bith had been occupying. Then he looked at the aliens, who had become much more serious.  
  
"Jodax," he said, looking at the Ithorian. "Kyuub," he said, looking at the Sullustian. "Baldaro," he said, looking at the Rodian.  
  
"I need you to do one small favor for me. I remember I saved all three of your necks a while back and asked me if I required repayment. At the time, I said no. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm going to have to renege on that statement. But this has nothing to do with money."  
  
Karrde paused, carefully assessing the reactions of the aliens. Good. So far, there was no negative reaction.  
  
"I want you to keep an eye on Jabba the Hutt's syndicate if it begins to show up in greater numbers here in Mos Eisley. I know he has several spies here and there scattered around this spaceport, but I have this feeling..." Karrde trailed off, unsure if he was doing the right thing.  
  
Baldaro leaned forward, trying to encourage Karrde to continue. "What is it, Talon?"  
  
Karrde shook his head, frowning as he looked off in the distance. "I just finished at Jabba's attempting to pull off some deal, the details of which I'm not at liberty to relinquish to all of you. But my point is that during that meeting...there was something about his attitude...that struck me as odd."  
  
He paused again, and then he looked back at the aliens, looking dead serious.  
  
"I believe Jabba is going to be planting spies on me, and looking for any opportunity to tie me up with the Rebel Alliance so that he can use it as an excuse to eliminate me or my employer, and take the company as his own."  
  
The three looked at Karrde, shocked, but then Jodax spoke up.  
  
"All right...but what do you want from us?"  
  
Karrde eyed the Ithorian pointedly, beginning to feel irritated, but he concealed it. There was no point in creating an argument. "As I said, simply keep an eye on Mos Eisley. If you begin to see activity in the area related to Jabba, then use any or all of your connections to try to foil his plans or simply contact me. That is all I require."  
  
The aliens nodded thoughtfully, and then Kyuub spoke on behalf of the group.  
  
"Talon," he said. "We owe you, and we would be glad to repay our debt in this fashion."  
  
Karrde nodded and smiled, and then he stood up. "Thank you, my friends. It's hard to find good people in this galaxy these days, especially in places like these, but I think I have found three right here. Take good care of yourselves."  
  
The aliens responded with their farewells, and then Karrde left the cantina briskly, not making any eye contact with any patrons. When he was out, he pulled out the comm.  
  
"Dankin," he spoke, in a low voice. "Is she ready to go?"  
  
"Sir, she's almost done, I would say by the time you get here she should be set to rip a hole in Tatooine's atmosphere."  
  
Karrde allowed himself a small grin, and then replied. "All right, all right," he said. "Stop cracking the jokes and get to work."  
  
He clicked off the comm and headed towards the docking bay area.  
  
If he would have been more cognizant back in the cantina, he would have noticed the dark figure that had tracked his every move since his departure from Jabba's and had entered through the back door of the cantina by using his connections and his blaster rifle.

* * * *

Boba Fett ended his self-initiated countdown after Karrde had left, and then he silently stood up and proceeded towards the table where the three aliens were getting ready to leave.  
  
As the aliens saw him, they all recoiled in fear, and then Fett looked around quickly to make sure that no one was paying too much attention. No, no one was. Then he pretended to be knocked back by the Rodian, who was bewildered and in reality had done nothing. But this was part of Fett's master setup.  
  
As he was knocked back, he snapped out his rifle and with a flurry of shots, ended the lives of the three aliens right then and there.  
  
As he rose, the three aliens sank back into their seats, and Fett growled "Enjoy your meal."  
  
Then he turned around as the Cantina had stopped all activity for a moment, and then resumed its activity. Fett grinned underneath his helmet. He loved the lawlessness of this place, and he also knew that no one would dare touch him.  
  
He did not glance at the bodies, but before going in he had debated on simply killing the three outright or making an excuse and then killing them. Either way would have been fine for Fett, but he did not want to risk any ill will between anyone. It would simply mean another person that he would have to kill. Luckily, his faked fall that had supposedly been from the Rodian had worked well, and no one had cared enough to worry about it. The patrons of the cantina had recognized that Fett was merely enacting justice, Mos Eisley style, and no one had a problem with it.  
  
Fett exited the cantina, throwing Wuher three credits for the mess. It was a custom to do so if you ended the lives of one of his patrons, one credit per dead body.  
  
As he exited, he clicked a button on his helmet and spoke.  
  
"They're dead," he said softly. "He's on his way to the docking bay. Where do you want me next?"  
  
A voice boomed with laughter from his ears, and Fett waited patiently.  
  
[Good,] replied the voice in Huttese. [Bribe a technician and get a tracker on that ship. I want to know exactly where he's heading. I have a feeling he will not be heading to his base anytime soon. Knowing him, he probably wants to have some sort of a deal with anybody, not wanting to go home empty handed.]  
  
"As you wish," muttered Fett, and clicked off the comm that was wired with his Mandalorian armor.  
  
He strode towards the docking bay area and saw a tech heading in that direction. He grabbed the youngish boy by the arm and pulled him into a dark corner. Fett then pulled out a bag of credits and dumped the bag into the human's hands.  
  
"Take this," Fett growled. "Go find the _Wild Karrde_ and put this on it." He produced a small circular device and handed it to the boy.  
  
The boy's eyes widened with excitement at who he was facing, what he had received, and what he was about to embark on.  
  
"Yes sir!" he said, running off. Fett shook his head. There had been a time when he was that age...and...  
  
With an effort, he forced himself to stop thinking about the past and focus on the task at present. If his father were here, he would have said the same thing, and he would certainly not want his son mourning over him with such a critical task on the line.  
  
Fett stepped out of the alley and strode to where his ship, _Slave I_, was docked. He would not go and check with the boy again, and was confident that the credits would do the job. As he reached his ship, he quickly used his built-in remote on his armor to open the hatch and he stepped into this product of Kuat Drive Yards.  
  
As he entered, he immediately flipped on his connection to the tracker and observed its activity for a moment. Karrde's ship was just lifting off...and they were heading towards...Corellia. Fett shut down the controls and grinned under his mask. With luck, perhaps he would get to test out the new feature he had added to his rifle a week ago, which reduced targets to particle dust. He had not been too eager to use it on the three aliens, but if Karrde managed to be lucky enough to consort with some Rebels, Fett would take pleasure in using the rifle's new feature on so exquisite a target.

* * * *

Karrde shook his head.  
  
Whoever was playing this trick was way in above their heads. He calmly looked at Chin and nodded. "Have you scrambled it?"  
  
"Just finished it. Whoever it was, they'll be heading to...Corellia, now," said the former pirate. "That scrambler was well worth our money, sir."  
  
Karrde nodded and settled back in his seat. "Good," he said and began to issue the command to go to lightspeed when he was cut off by Odonnl.  
  
"Sir?" he asked. Karrde nodded, not betraying his impatience and his worry to leave this place as soon as possible. "Who do you think is doing this?"  
  
Karrde snorted. "Who else? Isn't it obvious? It's Jabba."  
  
Odonnl looked confused. "But sir, I don't understand."  
  
Karrde shook his head, and nodded to the viewscreen. "Odonnl, if you don't plot in a course for Orto right now, then I don't think you ever will, and in about two minutes I don't think you'll even get the chance to wonder or think about anything else, for that matter. Your particles might have to get used to looking at Tatooine and the ships that leave it for the rest of your existence." He paused for an exaggerated effect, trying to chide his officer in this manner. "But, on the other hand, if you do decide to go to hyperdrive, then maybe I can tell you all  
about it in the game room over drinks, if you're up to it."  
  
Odonnl took the hint and nodded meekly. "Yes, sir," he said, plotting the course in and sending the _Wild Karrde_ off to Orto.  
  
Mere seconds later, _Slave I_ entered space and took off towards Corellia.


End file.
